Black Eyes Peas And Hedley Added To Juno Lineup

Global hip-hop wonders Black Eyed Peas and Vancouver rockers Hedley are the next acts to join the lineup for The 2006 JUNO Awards broadcast, it was announced today by CTV and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The two groups join previously announced artists Bedouin Soundclash, Broken Social Scene, 2006 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Bryan Adams, Coldplay, Michael Bublé and Nickelback.

Hosted by Pamela Anderson from Halifax, Nova Scotia, The 2006 JUNO Awards airs Sunday, April 2 from 7 - 9 p.m. ET on CTV (check local listings).Black Eyed Peas have transcended their vigilant hip-hop roots and have become a truly global phenomenon with their fourth CD, Monkey Business (Interscope/Universal Music Canada). Nominated for a 2006 JUNO Award for International Album of the Year, Black Eyed Peas have been enthusiastically embraced by Canadians with sales approaching seven times platinum in Canada.

Their 2003 breakthrough album Elephunk vaulted them to a level of success unparalleled by any other hip-hop group. Respected for their ebullient live spirit and buoyant anthemic funk, Black Eyed Peas transcend boundaries and borders, cutting across ages, races and backgrounds and attracting a worldwide audience as a result. The group recently doubled their Grammy Award collection with a win for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the song "Don't Phunk With My Heart".

Nominated for 2006 JUNO Awards for New Group of the Year (sponsored by

FACTOR) and Rock Album of the Year for their phenomenally successful, self-titled debut CD (Universal Music Canada), Vancouver rockers Hedley join The 2006 JUNO Awards broadcast near the end of their 29-date, headlining cross-country tour. In just six months the quartet, fronted by Jacob Hoggard, has sold over 100,000 albums to become Certified Platinum selling artists in Canada. Their first single "On My Own" reached Number 1 on the MuchMusic Top 30 Chart while their current single "Trip" is also now Number 1. Renowned for their charismatic spontaneity and frenetic presence, the band recently completed a sold-out Canadian tour with Simple Plan.

The 2006 JUNO Awards, Canada's Music Awards, will be broadcast in High-Definition and 5.1 Surround Sound on CTV on Sunday, April 2 from the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, NS. In April 2005, 1.34 million viewers watched The 2005 JUNO Awards from Winnipeg on CTV. In all, more than 5.7 million Canadians tuned in to watch some part of the star-studded show- an increase of almost half a million viewers compared to the 2004 broadcast - making it once again the most-watched Canadian awards telecast. CTV began broadcasting The JUNO Awards in 2002 when it telecast the Awards from St.

John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, before taking it to Ottawa (2003), Edmonton (2004) and Winnipeg (2005). The 2007 JUNO Awards will be broadcast from Saskatoon on CTV.

Sponsors for the 2006 JUNO Awards include FACTOR, Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage's "Canada Music Fund", the Province of Nova Scotia, the Halifax Regional Municipality, Events Halifax and Radio Starmaker Fund. Broadcast sponsors for the event are General Motors, Pantene Pro-V, Doritos, and Nice 'n Easy.